What to do in Portland, ME before going to Acadia?

[Anonymous]

We normally take a 2-week vacation before school starts with our kids (ages 13-20). My DH found a great AirBnB within Acadia National Park for those 2 weeks.

The school then sent out their calendar and school starts a week earlier than expected.

The AirBnb isn't available until the Friday of that earlier week (at the earliest).

If we fly to Portland, ME on Monday, is there enough for us to do around there until we can get to the AirBnB on Friday? We like hiking (that's why we're going to Acadia) and science museums. Our kids do not enjoy art museums and none of us enjoy shopping. We have religious restrictions around food so eating out is a non-issue.

If there isn't enough to do, we're trying to figure out where else to go. One kid talked about Glacier National Park; if we do that, we might be there for 1 week and go to Banff National Park (in Canada) for the second week. Other ideas were Europe or Hawaii, but since we're looking at a 10-day trip (Aug 10-20), that might not be enough time for the latter, especially with jet lag.

Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

Post-Covid Portland is not the same IME. The cities dealing with a lot of homelessness, drug addiction issues. Urine/Feces/Needles in the streets and sidewalks. I would drive the coast instead and stay at a variety of towns.

You could stop at a Kennebunkport, then a resort like Cliff Walk or Samoset. You could go to Ogunquit. There’s plenty of coast and hiking options to explore along the coast too.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Since we'll be flying into Portland and Acadia is 3+ hours north, I'm not sure that driving to Kennebunkport makes the most sense. Is there anything we can do that's between Portland and Acadia?

Or would it make sense to stay in two different places in Acadia? Is it big enough to warrant doing that (the way that Yellowstone is big enough that it makes sense to do that)?

[Anonymous]

Portland is still a great city to visit and I didn’t see any feces in the street or anything like that.

We stayed Tuesday—Friday, partly also driven by airbnb availability in Portland vs Acadia, and we had a great time— didn’t feel like we needed longer really but I think there are some nice hikes outside of town so you could probably spend a day doing that. Also I will say a lot of what we liked about Portland was trying different restaurants, bakeries etc.

[Anonymous]

PS there is another recent thread on Portland

[Anonymous]

- Portland Head Lighthouse (explore the tide pool)
- Book and coffee shops downtown
- lobster rolls and/or clam chowder from Gilbert's Chowder House
- Ice cream at Red's Dairy Freeze (get the crunch coat) - on the drive to or from the lighthouse
- Eat red snapper hotdogs

[Anonymous]

A few years ago we took a multi-day cruise on a tall ship out of Camden. (3 or 4 nights? Don't remember exactly.) That might be hard for you to puzzle in. Maybe a day trip out of Camden or Boothbay?

> "We have religious restrictions around food so eating out is a non-issue."

Does this mean you can or cannot eat out?

You mentioned science museums. On a previous trip to Bar Harbor/Acadia we did Diver Ed's Dive-in Theater. Our kids were young at the time, and we thought it was great fun.

https://www.diveintheater.com/

There's also a lobster hatchery that's pretty interesting. Would a lumberjack show be too touristy?

[Anonymous]

OP here. Our food restrictions mean that we will NOT be eating out; we'll bring our own food.

[Anonymous]

Bradbury State Park in Pownal
Casco Bay ferry ride to Peaks or the Mail Run
The Dairy Queen in Topsham (LBJ ate there with a plaque to prove it!)
Popham Beach
Reid State Park
A Sea Dogs minor league baseball game
Old roadside cemeteries in Durham (where Steven King has childhood ties)


Otherwise Portland is kind of a one day town, imo. I lived in Midcoast Maine and out of town guests were unimpressed with Portlands offerings. I thought they were snobby but I guess I get it. Visit the abundant stunning. nature of Maine! Watch out for the flies and ticks

[Anonymous]

My DH answered above.

Some other things we did...

Maritime museum in Bath Maine
Tour of Bath Ironworks Shipyard (must be U.S. citizen)
L.L. Bean HQ store in Freeport

[Anonymous]

I would get an AirBnB for the other week on a different part of MDI - if you're moving anyway, might as well be in the area you want to be where there's tons to do

[Anonymous]

Not much. Avoid the homeless?

[Anonymous]

We were there 18 months ago and loved it. Rolling the eyes over the feces and needles. One of my favorite bookstores is there (Longfellow) but there are many good ones. Also echo the suggestions to take ferry rides to islands and hike.

[Anonymous]

There is a ton to do between Portland and MDI.
You could
whale watch somewhere,
Wolfe’s Neck State Park, Freeport;
Beautiful walks around Harpswell, Orrs Island
Bath / Wiscasset / Boothbay
State parks around Rockland & Camden
Belfast

Maine is more diverse than people think - if you need veg or Halal you could find in Portland. Maybe kosher too

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Since we'll be flying into Portland and Acadia is 3+ hours north, I'm not sure that driving to Kennebunkport makes the most sense. Is there anything we can do that's between Portland and Acadia?

Or would it make sense to stay in two different places in Acadia? Is it big enough to warrant doing that (the way that Yellowstone is big enough that it makes sense to do that)?

There is lots to do and see between Portland and Acadia.

Spend one day in Portland and the surrounding area. Do a schooner cruise, visit Fort Williams State Park, take the ferry to Peak's Island for a day. If it's a beautiful day, go to the beach in Cape Elizabeth or Scarborough.

When you leave Portland, drive north to Freeport where you can visit Wolfe's Neck State Park and Winslow Park. Or you can skip that and continue on up the coast to Bath where, if it's before 2 PM, you can have a great lunch at Mae's Café. The Maine Maritime Museum is interesting and could include an outing on the Kennebec river if that's of interest to you.

Nearby Popham Beach is spectacular and worth spending the day.

Continue with the coast to Damariscotta. Visit the awesome secondhand bookstore there, then drive down the Pemaquid Peninsula to the Lighthouse Park, where the views are great and there are some interesting things to visit. The rock formations and views are spectacular. If it's a nice day you can spend some time at Pemaquid Beach.

As you leave Damariscotta, stop at Round Top Ice Cream for delicious treats. Then drive another 15 or 20 minutes to Waldoboro, where you can have something to eat at Moody's Diner. Blueberry pie! Whoopie pies!

Rockland is a little way north from there and has a wonderful art museum, which I know you're not interested in, but the Puffin Project is also in Rockland and if you like animals and science, it's pretty fascinating. Ideally you would be able to do a cruise to see puffins, but August is not the season for that.

https://www.audubon.org/seabird-institute/projects/tufted-puffin-conservation-pacific-northwest

Past Rockland is Camden, which I think is overrated honestly, but you can drive up Mount Battie in Camden Hills State Park for panoramic views.

Keep driving north and just past Lincolnville is the town of Belfast, Maine, which is worth a stop for a meal and a walk. It has a genuine feel to it which in my opinion Camden lacks.

Acadia is about an hour and a half north of Belfast. Enroute, stop in Bucksport and visit Fort Knox, one of Maine's best-preserved coastal forts. Take the elevator up the Penobscot Narrows Observatory for 360-degree views of the river and bay.

I hope this is helpful.